Morro Bay, CA - Morro Rock Summit

A flight to the summit of Morro Rock in Morro Bay, CA using a QAV500 Radio Controlled Helicopter. 4/4/2014 35.37203, -120.85954
About: / roadtripfpv

[@herbbenson6884]

Great video. Thank you. Fifty-five years or so ago , when I was a kid there was a camp ground at the base of Morrow Rock. We spent many happy hours roaming up and down the beach and around The Rock. We try to go once or twice a year. Though the camp ground is long gone we always look forward to the trip and really enjoy the stay.

[@tootsiegirl]

+Herb.. wow...55 years ago? That's awesome ..Heck I thought I was doing good at a decade ago! Good for you!

[@nickday9498]

Herb, what year were you there at a camp ground? I grew up in that area (moved there in 1952) and there was never a camp ground near the rock. There was a small park right at the beginning of the spit going to the rock, just past the PG&E plant. The campground was always over near the golf course, near where they eventually built the museum.

[@m.chrisarevalo5549]

Again,Thank you. Still after all these years I watch your drone footage. I’ve always wanted to see what the top of the morro looks like. I used to live on one of the sailboats you circled and the end of your footage. Always wondered what became of my boat. Now I know. I’ve gotten “closure” over the years and when I found your drone footage it seemed like it completed the closure, turning the page to a new chapter of life. Now, just fond memories remain.

[@trealville23]

Dang ya sadly it was most likely crushed :( the boat that is. Always sad seeing the neglected boats at the impound dock

[@shirehorse7]

Ah the nostalgia of being back at Morro Bay is wonderful. Especially with a nice view from that high up since it is illegal to try climbing the Morro rock.

[@tootsiegirl]

awww........ I have been there twice, but so many years ago. Thank you for sharing and bringing back wonderful memories.

[@tootsiegirl]

uh oh, you got me... I like, NO... I love and I sub. ha ha ha ha

[@jamesholz1151]

Thanks for the memories. Burned one up there in '81.

[@zoningfam]

How the hell did you get down ?

[@jamesholz1151]

@@zoningfam floated!!

[@zoningfam]

@@jamesholz1151 lol have you seen the video where the kid dies falling down here that’s why I was like wtf .

[@jamesholz1151]

@@zoningfam that was probably someone from Bakersfield. There are stairs ya know.🤣

[@zoningfam]

@@jamesholz1151 kzbin.info/www/bejne/iYS9qGx-htlmi9E

[@stevenkyhill1678]

One of the best if not the best flight over Morro Rock, over and around the top 360 wow,cool

[@soonice2421]

Absolutely beautiful photography. Thanks for sharing.

[@coelagos8645]

Outstanding, the guy should get some kind of award.

[@devracooper5360]

i enjoyed this very much! seeing morro bay from this perspective was so interesting ... thanks!

[@clairejeannette9818]

Devra. Thanks so much for

[@clairejeannette9818]

Oops. Thanks for including this. I'm going to forward it to my brother who loves Morro Bay too. See you in January. It's on my calendar

[@pualanikapoho]

Must be a weekday! No paddle boarders or kayakers out! And not that many cars at the ROCK. Awesome video!

[@paddleme2]

Oh what a fascinating toy! Gorgeous footage

[@thefiredude52]

I live in Morro Bay. I fly also. Great flight and vid! Thanks for posting!

[@wills120]

Great video! The range on that drone is amazing.

[@DrGoljan]

Great Video! For those of you wondering, the song is "Let it Be" by Blackmill.

[@joraiders8o594]

Amazing to know that my ancestors ascended to the peak of Lesamo.

[@jbonnett1225]

Very cool. I would love to have one of these. Never seen the top of Morro Rock like that. Would have been a great day out of the water!!!!

[@senterpoint]

Great flying, video, audio and navigation! What's not to like?

[@victorcabatuan9870]

Cool Video....... I One of my favorite places to kayak. In the estuary and out past the rock going either north or south..... I have been in a couple kayak races from Cayucos to Morro Bay and ending at Colman Beach where he is sitting. I won one of them in the Touring Class.......

[@likeliterally7077]

I love how unspoiled the central coast is. I went to cal poly for college. I miss the area so much

[@anthonybunting6910]

Very cool. Thanks for sharing. I have this sound track on my iPod.

[@standingturtil]

My dad , uncle and grand dad climbed it in the 60's

[@ryanehrlich5705]

ok I have to ask.... where your knees shaking when you were flying over the rock?

[@agilefpv5159]

Hats off, nice video!

[@SubconsciousGatherer]

2 people are afraid of heights. GREAT VIDEO.

[@geonerd]

+Michael Steven Martin 2 nesting Peregrine Falcons filed noise abatement papers with the FAA! ;)

[@PanyingPilot]

That was a fine video and a considerable risk to your gear. Thanks.

[@halheywood3910]

Awesome brother . . Calm day nice vid

[@lstruggy]

Hands down the best quad fpv KZbin channel....please do a Santa Clara Levi's stadium new 49ers stadium tnx in advance!

[@jamesmusic110757]

Wow, what a thrill! THanks

[@SteveWagnerUSNPL]

Great video.

[@usatrucking-f7w]

Nice shot

[@bobward6940]

I wish you could have got more of the top of the rock on the west side, but understand you could lose signal if the rock was blocking your line of site. Maybe from a boat next time. Thanks for the video. Brings back old memories when you were allowed to climb to the summit on a path which was very easy (as long as you knew where it was)

[@nickday9498]

Hey Bob, when were you there and climbed the rock? I did it three times before 1960, Mount Hollister as well. Just seemed like the thing to do, since it was there and so were we. Grew up in that area, the Rock, sand dunes and buggies, the hike across from Torrie Road to Mt. Hollister (there was a really mean bull in one of those pastures), cliff climbing at Hazzard Canyon, the caves up at DeArrands ranch (now Montana de Oro SP). Boy, those bring back some good old memories!!

[@Thundering34]

How long have you been flying a quadcopter? That is the best, and most stable footage I've ever seen. Not the usual flying and looking around randomly while making everyone sea sick! ;) I was blown away by the distance you were willing to fly without losing signal. How many of those have you lost while learning? ;) What do you feel is a comfortable distance for that model? Thanks for sharing, and any tips would be appreciated. :)

[@RoadTripFPV]

Thundering34 Thanks, I've been flying quads for a few year now, but before that fixed wing since the 70s and collective pitch acro helis for ten. ...Once I tried FPV there was no going back. :) I've never lost a quad. I do a LOT of incremental testing, practice, and clean and inspect after every flying session. If a part is remotely worn, I replace it. I know the limits of my aircraft in terms of wind, range, temp, etc. I don't edit my vids, so I keep the flights to ~5 min, which limits range to 1.25 mile away (others fly many miles using similar long range equipment)... but usually stay within 3,000 ft to really explore where I am... get close to the scenery. My channel's "about" page lists the hardware I use if you're curious.

[@Thundering34]

Thank you for taking the time to reply and share your vast knowledge. Much appreciated, and yes I will check out your page. :)

[@terredee]

Hope these drones don't disturb the birds who live there - the reason people can't climb the Rock.

[@philwimer3591]

People have fallen and also gotten stuck on cliffs up there. That's another reason.

[@gavintino2]

I'm here right now!

[@infrequentgamer_greg]

I was hoping that you would get to the seaside face of the rock, but you didn't quite make it. Apparently someone has hiked to the top as there is a rock cairn there. Too bad they placed the power plant right smack-dab in the middle of the harbor as, at least in my opinion, ruins a very picturesque location. Thanks for posting.

[@Yenni6565]

The Native Americans are the only ones allowed to go up to the top. I believe they hold religious ceremonies up there

[@nickday9498]

Don't know what the rules are these days, but back in the 1950's when I was a lad growing up in Baywood Park, climbing Morro Rock was almost considered a "right of passage" for many boys. As far as the PG&E plant, it was there when we moved into the area in 1952 and is as much a part of the area as anything else in Morro Bay. About half the town in those days worked for , or was associated with, PG&E so from our view point it "belongs!"

[@therealcornkid]

Wow! Excellent video. Do you have a video stream from the q-copter to your remote control?

[@RoadTripFPV]

Thanks. The live video is streamed to video glasses and provides flight data such as altitude, velocity, direction and distance to home, flight battery amp-hours consumed, receiver signal strength, etc. The backpack next to me contains two antenna (omni & high gain), a video switch (diversity controller), and DVR. The switch selects the antenna with the best reception and pipes it to my glasses and DVR.

[@Hoverbot1TV]

Nice pans around the dock, that's a lot of water! Are you running 4s?

[@RoadTripFPV]

Yes, 4s 3.2 Ah

[@steelman86]

Ok, im going to go back for a 360 degree around the rock with my Phantom 4. I was over at the rock and it was windy, cloudy and a ton of seagulls and other birds which I thought may attack my drone so i packed up and went home. The birds don't seem to bother it but ill be much closer to the rock when i do my video. It just scares me to fly over the west side and the ocean as my first drones tended to fly off on their own!!!

[@WGR467]

I was checking out your quad copter and its gear, how much are you into it with everything?

[@RoadTripFPV]

I really don't know.

[@bassflyer]

Very cool!!

[@davedollen]

Cool video. Time for me to get a drone.

[@straightpride442]

Great footage. Music, well not so much. Can we just have video well no music please.

[@pcbuys7281]

whoa i can see were that guy fell, I hope this is what he experienced after he died

[@sloproseries144]

Thats so cool! We Should collab on Hollister peak

[@WGR467]

I was wondering how your able to maintain such stable video without having an axis or stabilizer on it, or maybe you do but I don't see it.

[@RoadTripFPV]

The camera is fixed. I like to show what the aircraft is really doing. If you tune the controller well, balance the props perfectly, and fly smoothly, the video turns out pretty good. Perfectly smooth isn't possible though at certain speed transitions, altitudes, temperatures, wind conditions, etc.

[@WGR467]

RoadTripFPV Your videos are amazing in my opinion! I was interested in a IRIS 3DR quad copter, but after watching yours carefully, I believe I'm switching gears to either a Discovery Pro or a QAV500 like yours. What is your flight time on a full charge?

[@RoadTripFPV]

Robbie Waggonner Thanks, I've been working to fly well for a while now. I fly a relatively light battery for such a large quad @ 4-cell 3.2 Ah, so at full tilt no more than 12 minutes though I never fly more than six minutes to keep the flight videos watchable (I never edit). I own a discovery and do not like it. The rigid chassis transfers too much vibration and the non-symetrical arms do not tune properly for all orientation flight (like fast forward to side-slip pirouettes). It's always a compromise with that airframe. The QAV series has symmetrical arms and vibration isolation. It makes a HUGE difference when you fly all orientations in all weather conditions. Both airframes put the camera out clear of the props, have widely spaced gear for landing in all locations (another reason I dislike the ready-made Phantom), and a long center body to space out the RF sources for long range flight.

[@WGR467]

RoadTripFPV I've watched all your videos 100X's, it definitely shows your flying skills. I live in the Napa Valley, so your videos are of places that I've seen. I love the SF video up by the lookout point where the kid in the yellow shirt knows whats going on lol, classic! Your videos have pushed me to get this new found hobby up and running, I've always loved drones and ariel footage/photos. Thank you for the insight about the Discovery vs the QAV, because you actually own both your opinion is based on actual knowledge, which I appreciate! Seems I'll be going with the QAV500 then. I was curious, what is your battery charge time or do you more then one battery? I was originally going to go with the Phantom in the beginning, but after hours and hours of reseach...I've decided that if I'm going to invest thousands of dollars, I want to do it right. I've been speaking with a guy from Aeroworksproductions.com when I was originally going to go with a Phantom, since then I've talked myself out of it and asked him if he built other quad copters, he said yes his company does. I would definitely have to have someone build this for me and show me the ropes, Im a rookie at this. Anyways...I plan on applying what I've discussed with you and apply it to my purchase...again love your videos and I've been to SF, Santa Cruz and Devils Cliff...all awesome videos brother!...Robbie

[@RoadTripFPV]

Robbie Waggonner The only half-quality videos I was ever able to get out of the Discovery was the Vista Point and Mt. Umunhum. All others were struggles with flight performance and vibration. I was never able to get the PID tuned well enough to prevent vibration and fly well. I had the QAV500 flying better in one afternoon... and another six months I had if flying at the state it is now and remember that settings from one person, even with the same hardware, will not be the same on yours. Differences in CG, mass, flying style, etc will effect flight performance. Also, the more weight you tag on, the less maneuverable and slower the quad... I know, obviously. But, that means if you want to do fun close in zipping around, the multi-axis stabilized quad/hex/octo (and Phantom) isn't going to work. I call those floaters... zzz... makes butter smooth level flight and that's all. Oh, I also chose the QAV500 over the more popular QAV400 because the live feed cam isn't under the nose. I land in crazy places and I needed the camera in a safe position. Otherwise I'm using the same motors, speed controls, props, etc of the 400. Take your time on the build, test, and practice practice practice away from anyone or thing. If you aren't proficient flying fixed wing or helis already, you are jumping into the most complex RC hobby there is! You will crash... a lot, so brace for that. I only moved into this hobby after flying aerobatics with fixed wing since the 70s and helis (now Trex 450 & 600) since 2004... and back then I crashed A LOT. ..even into my wife once. :) Travis

[@joshshepard0583]

Morro Bay California

[@Hernandezsd]

what is the name of the song ?

[@RoadTripFPV]

Santiago Hernandez Blackmill - Let it Be (feat. Veela)

[@Hernandezsd]

+RoadTripFPV. Awesome. THANKS

[@FishPornTV]

EFFING SIIIIIIICCCCCKKKKKKKK

[@HulaBottler]

Morro Bay 2015: kzbin.info/www/bejne/amGli2ikac5jgZo

[@camerawithwings8607]

very nice, would love to hook up with u ...im in pleasanton.

[@briana4629]

Good dream

[@inezneal7258]

Too bad it's public

[@scottcooneymusic6736]

this rock isn't really that special to be honest. It's pretty tame and the view is one that can be had all along the West coast of Cali. The drone is damn cool though.

[@ajg2094]

ok, see it to believe it lmao. dont talk shit unless you have been. because i live not to far from there, and go every once in a while. and there really arent to many views like this in california. Your probably saying this because you live far from something beautiful like this Rock and maybe never seen it. because the video doesnt make it look to big. but in person it is huge up close, and has a huge back stiry behind it...

[@tootsiegirl]

+tyler... I agree

[@nickday9498]

You obviously did not grow up in that area. To those of us that did, that rock is very special. Back in the 1950's it was sort of a "right of passage" for every boy to climb Morro Rock. I did it three times before I was 15. Mount Hollister as well, we all did it - cause it was there!!

[@philwimer3591]

@@nickday9498 I climbed it as a 14 year old in 1967. Climbed the established trail and also climbed the north side up the crevice. The rock is a spiritual place.

[@ryanehrlich5705]

ok I have to ask.... where your knees shaking when you were flying over the rock?

[@RoadTripFPV]

+ryan ehrlich Haha, no. The only ascent that worried me was Bishop Peak with the wind over the summit, poor antenna coverage, and the number of people. I hate flying near people.

[@ryanehrlich5705]

+RoadTripFPV nice! I was just there yesterday and happened to get some footage with my 250 mini quad. I used the same song in mine. I'll post it here when it's done uploading